A young women in our church was absent from worship this past Sunday. When we ask where she was her husband said, "She is at the Brazilian embassy voting in the election."
She is Brazilian he is a native born US citizen. In Brazil if you are a citizen is is required that you vote in every election, even if you are an expat living in another country. I do not know what the punishment is for failing to vote and I do not know how the details are worked out, what kind of ID is required, if any, how the Brazilian government maintains a list of citizens.
So, do you also feel that voting should be mandatory and a fine levied on anyone not voting?
Should voting in elections be mandatory?
Discussion in 'Other Discussions' started by Crabtownboy, Oct 27, 2014.
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Crabtownboy Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>Site Supporter
Low voter turnout on the democrat side is expected to be a big factor in the upcoming whuppin'.
No. We should not punish citizens for not voting. -
No. It is a privilege to vote. Not a right, and should not be made mandatory. (Before someone jumps all over me, no it is not a right. Prisoners lose the privilege of voting.)
I believe that in most cases it is irresponsible to not vote. Especially if one is going to complain about the government. But mandatory would be a huge overstepping of government. -
Being required to vote: NO!
I do not want uninformed citizens voting.
And while I am at it- I do not like easy party voting.
It may have changed, but when I lived in WV - but to vote a full party ticket, you only had to make one mark - bad ideal - each candidate should be voted on. -
Every person has a right to voice their choice of a leader, even if you don't get the one you want. But if it is forced, then the government has over steeped their bounds. Their soul duty is to protect my rights, period. -
Revmitchell Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
According to "Bush V. Gore" voting is not a right. However, the same SC said that owning a gun is. In other words voting is not a consitutionally protected right.
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InTheLight Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." -
Revmitchell Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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I don't feel it should be mandatory to vote but I do feel voters need to pass a literacy test or some kind of common sense test. My Dad (Democrat) would take my Mother to vote and have her mark it how he wanted the vote to go. She has Alzheimer's and had no idea what she was doing. This is wrong but it happened every election for several years. I'm sure the Dem's would be proud of my Dad.
Dem's would probably load up buses full of incompetent voters and drive them to the poles. -
I don't believe a person ought to be required to vote.
I do believe a person should vote, but to make it mandatory for him to do so doesn't make much sense to me.
How would such a mandatory law be enforced? Are there going to be policemen at every polling place to check on who votes? Will the Post Office have to check off each mail-in ballot? How would you check on folks who use the "early voting" method? Suppose you intended to vote on election day but got sick and couldn't go to your polling place?
Would such a mandatory law apply to primary elections as well? What about run-off elections?
To me, this type of mandatory voting law would just add more governmental bureaucracy and regulations.
I certainly believe every eligible citizen ought to know what each candidate stands for and pray for God's guidance when he/she votes, but to require everyone to vote in every election doesn't make much sense to me. -
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InTheLight Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people"
9th Amendment to the Constitution of these United States -
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I was surprised about this....as an Aussie, it is MANDATORY to vote! If you don't you get fined, if you cannot provide a good reason. I vote in New Zealand where it is not mandatory, as I feel as a citizen, you should do so, as the country makes few demands upon me, if you do not exercise this priveledge , it may slip away in time.
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Nope. I don't think we should.